VFJR Forum: The Real "Save KPFA" Story With Jeff Blankfort And Others

9/24/2010 VFJR Forum: The Real "Save KPFA" Story With Jeff Blankfort And Others
September 24, 2010 7:30 PM
522 Valencia St./16th St.
San Francisco, CA
The Real "Save KPFA" Story With Jeff Blankfort And Others
The struggle against the attempted corporate take over of KPFA and Pacifica which began in 1994 is an important
part of the history in understanding the present struggle at KPFA and the network. Where people stood and what
they did when Pat Scott and her NPR supporters took over and implemented the "healthy station project"
is a story that is now playing out in the elections at KPFA. The former political grouping Concerned Listeners
now renamed "Save KPFA" is seeking to identify themselves with people who went to the street to "Save KPFA"
Jeff Blankfort and others who fought to protect KPFA and Pacifica from those who wanted to either sell the stations
or turn it into an NPR affilate will speak.
Jeff Blankfort was a key organizer against the take-over and will report on that struggle along with others who
were involved in defending KPFA and Pacifica.
Sponsored by
Voices For Justice Radio http://www.voicesforjusticeradio.org
info(at)voicesforjusticeradio.org
A Vision To Rebuild KPFA & Pacifica
Rebuilding KPFA and Pacifica
VOTE FOR VOICES FOR JUSTICE RADIO CANDIDATES
SUREYA SAYADI, JAIME CADER, FELIPE MESSINA, STEVE ZELTZER

1. End merged nightly news with KPFK & KPFA to expand local news reports. More community based reporters with volunteer news bureaus in the South Bay, N. Bay, Peninsula, Fresno and Sacramento and training of community reporters in these areas. Also web links to these news bureaus with reports from the regions and that can be reached on the web through google news and other search engines.

2. Open up the Program Council meetings to the public. Programmers and management can have a voice but no vote. The outside listeners need to be the decision makers on changing and evaluating programs.

3. Re-organize the KPFA news department to get more in depth news reporting and make segments such as labor and environment available as a google news feed. We also support combining labor, environmental, Black, GBLT and other programming nationally so it is searchable on the web. We support putting on Workers News http://www.laboradio.org as a feed which has been offered free to the station but is not used by news department managers.

4. We need to increase Public Affairs programming at KPFA including all communities in the Northern California. At present there is no public affairs director with a budget of $4.5 million and a population in the bay area of 12 million.

5. Better utilize KPFB by webcasting it and using new internet technology that will allow more new programs on housing & tenants rights and many other issues. We also propose to encourage use of video for interviews and programming.

6. Re-establish the Women's Department, the Third World Department and establish a Labor Department with voices of the rank & file, leaders of unions and a news information calendar on the web. We also support national labor news programming and other national programs on the Pacifica website containing programming on education, war, the environment and the economy from throughout the network news and others programs and shows. Lets make Pacifica a real national news and information portal.

7. Bring back the monthly folio in print and on line with interactive feedback on programming and how to build the station and Pacifica. We also support a regular survey by mail during the elections of what listeners support and what changes they want at our community radio station

8. Support the establishment of a Pacifica New Orleans Station Affiliate that can be a beacon from the South and more international partnerships with programmers from Latin America, the Middle East, Africa, Asia and Europe. We need to build an alternative international media network to break the information blockade of the corporate controlled media.

9. The development of a national and regional community producers network from Pacifica and It’s affiliates that will develop national and regional programming proposals that can link up the stations and the network from the ground up instead of a top down approach to national and regional programming.

10. Re-establish regular community town hall meetings every 6 months that are required under station bylaws but have been ignored by the present board officers despite the importance of having local community town hall meetings. We also support a return to monthly KPFA board meetings with minutes posted quickly when they are approved.

11. End the unfair and retaliatory ban against Black community programmer Nadra Foster. The station needs to apologize to her for the use of the police against her for “trespassing” and her injuries from the police.

We need to be a beacon for all the people of the bay area and this country!

That Will Bring Help Solve Our Financial Crisis & Build New Support For KPFA And Pacifica

KPFA Members Vote For

SUREYA SAYADI, JAIME CADER, FELIPE MESSINA, STEVE ZELTZER

http://www.voicesforjusticeradio.org

info(at)voicesforjusticeradio.org

A Pacifica National Board meeting with lawyer Dan Siegel at the end of the table